With first season out of the way, Padres eye offseason uses for Petco Park

SAN DIEGO -- For eight long years Erik Judson's singular focus
was the opening of the Padres' downtown ballpark. Hired in 1996 to
serve as the point man behind the development and construction of
what became Petco Park, he made it his ambition to give the city
the finest baseball venue in the land.

The debut season of the Padres in Petco has come and gone,
leaving mostly positive results in its wake, but Judson has no
intention of handing off his baby. More than a month after the bats
and gloves were stored for the winter, he is settling into his new
role as the ballpark's sales and marketing chief, charged with
ensuring that the facility doesn't develop offseason cobwebs.

"We make our money from baseball games," Judson said. "But we
always made a commitment to the community that it would be used for
other things, and we also made a commitment to the city that they
would benefit from some other events. … That's important to show
that it was a very prudent investment by the city."

The product of San Diego's $205.9 million contribution to
Petco's $453.4 million price tag was what's known as a joint use
and management agreement.

During the baseball season, a period that is defined as
extending from April 1 to Oct. 31, the Padres net 70 percent of
revenues while the city takes in 30 percent. During the other five
months of the year, that ratio gets reversed, with the city
receiving the lion's share.

It is in the city's best interests, therefore, that the ballpark
remains busy after the ballclub packs its boxes -- and it's also in
Judson's job description. So far, the bulk of the
non-baseball-related activity has involved corporate functions, but
both Padres and city officials envision a broader menu as word gets
out about Petco's availability and suitability.

"From discussions with the Padres, they're going to increase
their efforts in trying to bring in the concerts and other big
events because that's where you make the money," said Steve
Shushan, who works closely with Judson and staff as the city's
ballpark administrator after 18 years as assistant manager of
Qualcomm Stadium. "When you do a corporate event, there's not a
whole lot of profit, but when you do an event where you're selling
tickets, that's where it pays off."

Petco Park will attract none of the monster truck shows and
motocross competitions that have traditionally packed Shushan's
former place of business. It could, however, fill the gap as a
venue for concerts or speakers between cozy Coors Amphitheatre in
Chula Vista (capacity for almost 20,000 people between reserved and
lawn seating) and cavernous Qualcomm (capacity 71,500).

Judson said no high-profile events have yet been booked, in
large part because of the emphasis on baseball and troubleshooting
in Year One. At the same time, he would like Petco to be viewed as
a gathering place within the downtown district, not simply as a
source of revenue streams.

"We want to actively market it, to be sure," Judson said. "But
we've also talked about other ways to use it, with the Park at the
Park being open to the public and our (ballpark) tours. We want
people to feel as though this is accessible to them and they can
come and walk around and enjoy it even when baseball's not being
played."

Besides the marketing push, the Padres are taking advantage of
the break from baseball this fall to initiate some of the changes
that were discussed during the season. Among the items on the
agenda:

+ Sightlines. The Padres received complaints from season-ticket
holders who own seats in the upper deck that their view of the
action was hampered by the metal railings lining those sections. In
response, the club plans to tear out the metal and replace it with
see-through glass railings. The project, given the green light by
team owner John Moores and president Dick Freeman, is awaiting
final code approval from the city.

"We are reasonably sure that the glass railings we are proposing
more than exceed all of the code requirements," said Richard
Andersen, the managing director of Petco Park.

+ Batter's eye. The large green structure beyond the
center-field wall generated controversy in early September, when
some Padres chalked up a loss to Colorado and rookie left-hander
Jeff Francis to insufficient coverage provided by the hitting
backdrop. That game marked the only time the batter's eye was
mentioned as a competitive disadvantage, but team officials weren't
particularly enamored with it from an aesthetic standpoint,
anyway.

"A number of people both in the organization and externally felt
that we might be able to visually enhance that area, along with
expanding the background," Andersen said. "I'd say that's one of
John Moores' top priorities."

Andersen said razing the structure, which measures 40 feet high
by 80 feet wide and houses an equipment storage room and security
center, isn't an option. He was unsure what form the renovation
might take.

"We want to make sure that whatever we do out there really does
fit in with everything else and is fan-friendly," he said.

+ Food. What's a baseball game without a good hot dog? Alas,
many fans found Petco's frankfurters to be lacking, too often cold
or soggy. The reason was that the San Diego County health
department didn't permit the Padres to install flat grills in their
concession stands; instead they were forced to cook the hot dogs in
a central kitchen, prewrap them and distribute them -- all to the
detriment of freshness.

Andersen would only say that the county had valid "concerns"
that the team has since addressed, making on-site grills -- and
"hot" hot dogs -- likely for next season.

+ Much to the chagrin of Padres sluggers Phil Nevin and Ryan
Klesko, not among the proposed alterations is moving in the
outfield walls that extend as deep as 411 feet to right-center
field and contributed to the club hitting only 57 home runs at
Petco.

"There's no question that it's not the launching pad that some
of the other ballparks are, but you need a fair ballpark," Judson
said. "I don't want to criticize other stadiums, but some of them
have changed the way the game is played."

After spending nearly one-quarter of his life on Petco's
creation, the 36-year-old Judson was overwhelmed by a debut season
in which more than 3 million fans passed through the turnstiles and
in which the "vast, vast majority" of feedback was positive. He's
anticipating even greater things in 2005, both on and off the
diamond.

"Our focus for Year One very clearly was on opening a ballpark
to play baseball, and we think we've done that extremely well," he
said. "Dick has made a commitment to fan service, to guest
experience, and we're all very committed to that. And the good news
is that those are all things we can improve."